I Ching · King Wen 62
Hexagram 62: Small Excess
䷽ 小過 Xiǎo Guò · also called Preponderance of the Small, Small Exceeding, Small Surpassing · The Arousing above Keeping Still
The bird that should not fly too high: a time for small things, done with extra care, and for staying low.
modestysmall thingscarerestraintattention
The meaning of Hexagram 62
Mountain below, thunder above: thunder on the mountain, louder than in the sky and smaller in reach. Four yielding lines outweigh two strong ones. Small Excess describes a time when the small predominates and the correct response is to attend to small things with slightly more care than usual: more reverence in conduct, more grief in mourning, more thrift in spending. The tradition's judgement is that small things may be done and great things may not, and its image is the flying bird whose call should go downward, not up. The reading says this is not a time to attempt anything large or to fly high, and that success lies in modesty carried a little past the ordinary.
The image. Thunder on the mountain; the wise person exceeds in reverence, in grief, and in thrift.
- Advice
- Do small things with extra care and stay low; this is not a time to fly high.
- Warning
- The bird that ignores the warning and flies too high in a time of the small is caught in the net.
over
Structure: ☶ Keeping Still (Mountain) below, ☳ The Arousing (Thunder) above. Nuclear hexagram 28, Great Excess. Every line reversed: 61, Inner Truth.
Hexagram 62 for love and relationships
Small things, done with extra care: the gesture, the apology, the attention to detail. Not the grand declaration. The reading favours modesty and warns against flying high; the bird that climbs now is caught in the net.
Hexagram 62 for career
Attend to the details and keep a low profile. Great initiatives are not favoured. Be a little more conscientious than usual in conduct and spending, and let the small, well-done things accumulate.
Hexagram 62 for money
Thrift beyond the ordinary. Small, careful economies rather than large plays. The reading rules out the big move and rewards attention to the details of the accounts.
Hexagram 62 for decisions
Choose the small, careful option and decline the large one. The reading is explicit: small things may be done, great things may not. Decide accordingly.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
He passes him by, not meeting him. The flying bird leaves him. Misfortune. This means bad luck and injury.
Overshooting the mark, in a time that punishes it: the bird that has flown too high and cannot be brought back. The line is the ruin the hexagram warned of from its first line.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 56, The Wanderer. Read line 6 →
Dense clouds, no rain from our western territory. The prince shoots and hits him who is in the cave.
Promise without result, and the person in authority searching in hidden places for the helper who can bring the rain. Capable people are withdrawn and must be sought out. The line describes the search.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 31, Influence. Read line 5 →
No blame. He meets him without passing by. Going brings danger. One must be on guard. Do not act. Be constantly persistent.
Restraint of one's strength in a time that does not support it: the strong person who does not press, meets the situation rather than forcing past it, and holds still. The line is a series of instructions to do nothing rashly.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 15, Modesty. Read line 4 →
If one is not extremely careful, somebody may come up from behind and strike him. Misfortune.
In a time of the small, neglecting the small precaution and being struck from behind. The line names the consequence of ordinary carelessness in an extraordinary time: what would usually be fine is now dangerous.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 16, Enthusiasm. Read line 3 →
She passes by her ancestor and meets her ancestress. He does not reach his prince and meets the official. No blame.
Accepting a lesser meeting than the one intended, with modesty: dealing with the deputy when the chief is unavailable, with the grandmother when the grandfather is. The line approves of taking what the time allows.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 32, Duration. Read line 2 →
The bird meets with misfortune through flying.
Reaching beyond one's capacity in a time that forbids it. The fledgling that leaves the nest too early. The line is a plain warning against the premature attempt.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 55, Abundance. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 62 mean?
- The bird that should not fly too high: a time for small things, done with extra care, and for staying low. Mountain below, thunder above: thunder on the mountain, louder than in the sky and smaller in reach. Four yielding lines outweigh two strong ones. Small Excess describes a time when the small predominates and the correct response is to attend to small things with slightly more care than usual: more reverence in conduct, more grief in mourning, more thrift in spending. The tradition's judgement is that small things may be done and great things may not, and its image is the flying bird whose call should go downward, not up. The reading says this is not a time to attempt anything large or to fly high, and that success lies in modesty carried a little past the ordinary.
- What does Hexagram 62 mean for love?
- Small things, done with extra care: the gesture, the apology, the attention to detail. Not the grand declaration. The reading favours modesty and warns against flying high; the bird that climbs now is caught in the net.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 62 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 55, Abundance; line 2 gives Hexagram 32, Duration; line 3 gives Hexagram 16, Enthusiasm; line 4 gives Hexagram 15, Modesty; line 5 gives Hexagram 31, Influence; line 6 gives Hexagram 56, The Wanderer. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 61, Inner Truth.